Merlin, my six-month-old cocker spaniel, graduated from puppy school recently. He didn’t learn much, but every puppy got a diploma.
Since he’s apparently a slow learner, I was contemplating what I learned and what I still needed to do, and I started thinking about what the trainer kept emphasizing:
- Praise all effort, even if they aren’t completing the task. As long as they’re trying you want to encourage them.
- Be consistent when teaching new behavior.
- Understand what is important, every puppy has a different motivation and different fears to overcome.
- Be patient, no one learns the same way or at the same speed. New habits take quite a while to really set and become reality.
- Help them see the outcome you want through kind words, actions and treats. Intimidation never works, and the more they trust and like you, the more responsive they will be.
And then it hit me. Training puppies and teaching humans have absolutely the same strategies. What works for puppies works for people, if we choose to invest the time for the results we want.
- Language and treats might be different, however authentic praise is one of the best ways to validate what someone has done, and the effort they’re putting into their work.
- Leadership is all about being consistent. The person who is thoughtful one day and abrupt the next creates an environment of distrust and fear.
- Take time to know what inspires people; learn what they care about and what concerns get in the way of their progress and success.
- New approaches take patience to teach, and often include helping people get comfortable being uncomfortable in the process.
- Kindness and support are powerful strategies in building character and excellence in anyone.
Merlin still has a very long way to go when it comes to training, but I understand the methodologies and now it’s investing the time to teach him what he needs to know. And he’s absolutely worth it!
